Rath yatra held at Dhurwa sans fanfare

Ranchi: For the first time in its history of over 300 years, Lord Jagannath’s chariot in Dhurwa’s Ranchi did not roll out of the temple to reach mausi badi (the deity’s aunt’s house) on Tuesday. After a morning prayer, the temple doors were shut by 9am, the usual crowd was missing and the annual fair was not set up as the district administration recently ruled a closure of all religious places till June 30.
In view of prohibitory orders, though devotees turned up at the temple almost throughout the day, they were allowed to offer prayers from a distance. With the doors closed, people could be seen offering puja paraphernalia at the stairs leading to the sanctum sanctorum. In the morning, the temple priests performed the rituals at the dool mandap inside the temple where the deities were shifted after the netradaan (offering eyes to the deities) on Monday.
In the afternoon, chief minister Hemant Soren visited the temple and after offering his prayers, he told the media that he prayed for forgiveness for not allowing the rath yatra to take place owing to the outbreak of Covid-19. “The decision was taken with a heavy heart,” he said adding that people from all sections of society have supported the administration’s prohibitory decisions during their festivals held in the past three months.
Hemant also said, “I prayed that the steps taken within and outside the country to get rid of Covid-19 is successful.”
Much to the irritation of the common man, VVIP movement was noted all day through with former Union minister Subodh Kant Sahay and Sanjay Seth taking part in the rituals early in the morning. Some also rued of double standards in allowing people to visit the temple.
It may be stated here that the district administration has issued a directive that all rituals, including the netradaan, rath yatra and the return yatra of the deities should be held in symbolic manner in view of the prohibition imposed on religious ceremonies.